MBTA Semester Pass Discount Program

The MBTA (Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority) has teamed up with the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health to offer students a discount on their transportation costs. The MBTA is Boston’s public transit system and is made up of the subway system (called the “T”), local trains (the commuter rail) and buses that service the metropolitan area.

The discounted program offered requires students to order and pay for a four month (semester) pass and prices vary based on the type of pass you purchase.

The semester pass program is offered twice a year, once in September and again in December. Students who participate receive an 11% discount. The Fall Semester pass covers October – January and the Spring Semester pass covers February – May.

How to Apply:

Applications for Fall 2015 will be available during the summer.

Which MBTA pass is right for me?

If you believe that you will be using the MBTA daily (or at least Monday through Friday for classes or work), then the Semester Pass program is probably right for you. It offers you an 11% discount off the regular MBTA monthly pass. You can only purchase a semester pass through the Office for Student Affairs at the beginning of each semester.

Commonly purchased Semester Passes for Harvard Chan School students:

-Local Bus Pass: for the MBTA buses.

-Link Pass: for the subway (i.e. Green Line, Red Line, Orange Line etc) and the local buses.

-Zone 1A Pass: for the subway (i.e. Green Line, Red Line, Orange Line etc), the local buses and the commuter rail stops within Boston.

If you do not purchase a semester MBTA pass, you can get a monthly Charlie Card at: http://www.mbta.com A monthly Charlie Card for the subway and local buses (Link Pass) costs $75.00 and must be purchased through the MBTA.

Payment:

You can pay via check, money order or cash for your MBTA semester pass.

Please note: the payment deadline for the spring 2015 semester passes is January 9, 2015, so if you will not be on campus in the beginning of January please mail or drop off your payment before the end of Fall 2.

Checks should be made out to Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and can be dropped off or mailed to: